


rock me, give me that kick now

by Becangle



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29965095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Becangle/pseuds/Becangle
Summary: Henrik has his work cut out for him trying to teach a bumbling actor how to rock climb...Written for the LITG FF Writers Discord Gift Exchange!
Relationships: Henrik Bergstrom/Jakub Zabinski
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	rock me, give me that kick now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Colorkiller](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Colorkiller/gifts).



> Love you MK, hope you like it!!
> 
> Thanks to Sarah and Ben for the edit help!

Henrik was a person with a tremendous amount of patience. Everyone had always told him so- his mother, his exes... He had the patience of a saint, with a chill, easy-going vibe- not easily agitated. But this bloke. If ever a man should be called a bloke. Obnoxious, rude, smug - all things Henrik was not. He was quickly losing patience, only four days into a two-week intensive rock-climbing trip. The money was good, but he was beginning to doubt it would be worth it. 

This bumbling fool of a man- an arrogant English actor training for a role- was his student, and a completely useless one. He was completely out of his element climbing the crags of Sweden. He’d lied about his expertise to the producer, lied about his expertise to his trainer. Now, Henrik was stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to teach this unappreciative clod the basics of rock climbing, while he did little but complain. He whined about the cold at night, the quality of the food Henrik prepared, the blisters on his delicate hands- somehow surprised that rocks were more abrasive than the giant weights he was used to at his air conditioned gym. Jakub was a man who lived off protein powder and complaints.

He refused to consider chalk and yet complained endlessly about his hands, mocking Henrik’s reasonable suggestions. He already wanted to jump ahead to higher climbs. His grievances were endless. It was infuriating. 

Henrik wasn’t sure if Jakub had so little self-awareness that he didn’t notice his growing frustration, or if he simply didn’t care. The Swede was beginning to have nightmares about the block of muscle with his pug nose and perpetual scowl- unable to escape Jakub even in his dreams. 

Amiable, reasonable Henrik was to the end of his rope- and it was only day four.

“Oi, what about this one?” Jakub bounded over, knocking against Henrik’s shoulder, holding his cell phone annoyingly close to his face. Another photo of Jakub, posing against the rocks, intensely gazing into the camera. His best ‘fuck you, I’m a badass’ pose.’

Henrik kept his thoughts to himself, merely nodding. “Yeah, looks good.”

Jakub grunted in response, walking away, head stuck in his phone for another ten minutes, probably agonizing over a photo caption. His brow was furrowed- it was like a cow trying to learn math.

The silence was nice, it was his favourite part of Jakub’s thinking time. As he sat there, looking like he was holding in a fart, Jakub was at least not droning on and on about his body fat percentage or offering unrequested workout advice.

But the silence never lasted.

Ten more days. 

“We should get going.” Henrik gestured to the rocky hills they were supposed to be climbing. Six hours into their day and they had made little process, his pupil more focused on capturing his abs on camera than actually working.

“One more minute.” Jakub held up his finger without turning away from his phone.

“We need to get going,” Henrik pushed, every moment his patience dwindling. “We’re losing daylight and we need to start on this one if we’re going to stay on schedule.”

Jakub grunted, still not bothering to look at Henrik.

Henrik was angry. Angry? He was never angry. And yet, his hands were clenched, his patience gone. Destroyed by this infuriating person. 

He stood up from the rock he had been perched on and walked resolutely over to Jakub. It was long past time this happened. Jakub’s hands grasped loosely around the phone, that stupid, thoughtful look still stuck on his dumb face. 

Henrik exhaled deeply, making his presence known. Jakub continued ignoring him. Fire burned in Henrik’s gut- he couldn’t take this anymore. His time had value and this...useless wanker was wasting it. 

He was done. Henrik reached for the phone. “Oi, what the hell?” Jakub called out as it was pulled from his hands.

Henrik quickly took the phone and slammed it against the rock, harder and harder until it broke, ignoring Jakub’s furious pleas and the hand on his shoulder. Jakub was strong, but Henrik had righteous indignation on his side. Jakub wouldn’t be getting his phone back. He would have no choice but to focus on the task at hand. He let the broken pieces fall to the ground. 

“Bruh, why would you do that?” Jakub huffed, slamming Henrik against the rocks.

“You aren’t taking this seriously. Why are you here if you aren’t taking it seriously? För fan i helvete!” 

“Don’t forget you work for me- it’s your job to help me,” Jakub grumbled loudly. 

Henrik sighed. “How do you expect to keep your job? Your big break? Isn’t that what you said? How long will you last if you aren’t willing to even learn the basics here?”

“You have no idea what it’s like. I have to keep my fans happy, they won’t follow me if-”

“What fans?” Henrik spread out his arms emphatically. “I have more instagram followers than you and I’m not even famous! You aren’t either, and you won’t get there if you keep acting like this.” 

Jakub placed his hands to his head. “I know, it’s just...everyone thinks I’m dumb. They always have, I don’t know how to say things….I want to be good at this.” He gestured to the cliff. “I want people to take me seriously, it’s just. I don’t know how, I can’t even write a good instagram caption without sounding like a useless twit.”

Henrik sighed, sitting down on the ground next to Jakub. “I…” he paused, trying to figure out how to say it. How to open up to someone he disliked and had such little respect for. 

“People think the same thing about me sometimes. Things go over my head, I end up pretending to understand jokes, sometimes not even realizing the joke’s on me. It’s better being back here in Sweden, but I lived in the UK for a long time- it was rough, I got teased a lot. I know they didn’t mean to hurt my feelings.” Henrik paused. “But I didn’t learn English until I was nine.”

“I wish I had that as an excuse.”

Henrik frowned. “That doesn’t make it any easier for me.” 

“I know, I know.” Jakub bobbed his head up and down in defense, understanding. Hopefully. 

“I need you to take this seriously if we’re going to keep going,” Henrik instructed, “otherwise we’re just wasting each other’s time.”

Jakub nodded. “I get it, I know. Let’s make this mountain our bitch.” Jakub held out his hand high in the air, and Henrik hid a smile before reciprocating with a high five.

Maybe things would be better from this point on.

And it was. A bit. There were still challenges- Jakub continued to be relentlessly stubborn, listening but somehow not managing to comprehend Henrik’s advice. But he was trying, a little more than before. Tiny baby steps of progress. 

They kept their camp in the same location that day, still working on the smallest area. Jakub hadn’t shown enough progress for them to head off to a more challenging climbing hill. So there they stayed, at the first crag at Örnberget. 

It frustrated them both- there was so much to learn and Jakub was already so far behind. His skills at tying ropes were mediocre, but Henrik needed him to be able to tell when they were properly tightened. Safety was paramount in rock climbing, and Henrik couldn’t send him off unless he had learned the basics. So, they practised, day after day.

\----

As Jakub mixed up his protein powder-based drink, Henrik built a fire. It helped relax them both after an exhausting day, and the nights often grew chilly.

Jakub had been chattier since his phone had been destroyed, often sharing details of his life beyond his workout routine. Henrik began to do the same. 

“How did you get into climbing?” Jakub asked one evening after they had finished dinner.

“My older brothers got me into it. We’re an outdoorsy bunch. Climbing, hiking, snowboarding. Magnus dragged me up this same hill when I was thirteen. He told me we weren’t leaving until I showed him I could make it.”

“Did you?” 

Henrik chortled. “After a week. Our mum was pissed. Magnus blamed it on me, said I should have learned quicker.” He shrugged, taking a sip of his beer. 

Jakub had waved a beer away, claiming he couldn’t drink or eat anything outside his diet. He was strangely fastidious, laying out his clothes daily, obsessive over every wrinkle, living off of cinnamon candies which he claimed were calorie-free and helped with cravings for sweets.

“Why’d you move from here? And end up back here?”

“I wanted to explore, see more of the world, climb different mountains.” Henrik looked to his hands, stretching them in front of the crackling fire. “My Dad got sick, it’s why I came back. Why I’m still here?” He choked out a laugh. “I don’t even know anymore.” 

Henrik picked at the label of his bottle for a few moments before looking back at Jakub. “What’s your movie about?” 

Jakub’s face lit up. “Oh, it’s sick. Keanu Reeves is in it. I’m his group’s guide on a rock climbing trip, but it turns out we’ve accidentally invaded the home of a secret cannibal civilization. One by one, we get hunted down. Should be cool.” 

“Ah, interesting,” Henrik said with a nod. 

“I hope people like it. It’s my chance to be the next Dave Bautista.”

“Who?”

Jakub’s mouth sprang open, looking gobsmacked. “Seriously?”

Henrik shrugged. “Should I know who that is?”

Jakub shook his head, eyes wide. Henrik smiled to himself, enjoying riling Jakub up but also genuinely not knowing who Dave Bautista was.

“Give me one of those.” Jakub pointed to the beers.

“I thought you didn’t drink.” Henrik raised a brow, reaching over to hand Jakub a beer. 

“And you’re driving me to it.” Jakub opened the lukewarm beverage and muttered to himself, “doesn’t know who Dave Bautista is…..” 

Henrik laughed, causing Jakub to glare at him with the hint of a smirk on his face. Maybe he could make it as an actor- he hadn’t noticed before, but there was something about Jakub. A spark of charisma, that sparkle in his eye and the way his lips shifted into a smug, confident smile. He would look good on a movie poster. It was a fact he couldn’t share with Jakub- his ego didn’t need that boost. 

A few more days passed, each growing easier than the last, still working on the same hill. Until Jakub mastered it, they would remain- practising over and over. All day they trained, went over safety tips, practiced tying, stances. It was hard work. But slowly, Jakub was becoming a better and less irritating student. 

At night they talked more, about their lives, families, books Henrik had read and films Jakub had watched. Henrik taught him some card games. Jakub didn’t teach him anything, but made a bumbling attempt at showing he could do a cartwheel. 

Somehow in a few short days, Jakub became someone he sorta liked. Not friends, but friend-adjacent. 

\----

“Ugh, why do I have to wear a helmet? I won’t need to wear one in the movie.” 

“Because it’s just us out here, not a team monitoring your every move,” Henrik calmly explained for the hundredth time.

“I trust you watching my every move,” Jakub said earnestly.

Henrik hid a smile, not wanting him to see how touched he was. He forced a stern express. “Wear your helmet.” 

\----

“I’m blaying.”

“It’s belaying,” Henrik corrected.

“Oh, I’m bulaling,” Jakub said, his second attempt not much better than his first. 

Henrik chuckled. “Close enough.” He smiled encouragingly towards Jakub. “Make sure the carabiners are locked.”

\----

“Your arms need to be straighter, relax your knees.”

“This is relaxed,” Jakub moaned, hunching over slightly like a drunken hulk.

Henrik shook his head, moving to adjust Jakub’s positioning, somehow still surprised by how solid he was, his abs could literally cut glass. For someone struggling to learn how to climb, he was like a rock was transformed into a man. He didn’t know why, but that small touch sent shivers down his spine. 

\----

“This is homemade salve, it does wonders for your muscles.”

“I shouldn’t be sore, I live at the gym,” Jakub moaned, kneading his thigh with his hands roughly. 

“Yeah, but you don’t do this, it’s working completely different muscles.” Henrik applied some salve to his own hands before offering the tin to Jakub. Outstretching his hand, Jakub reached for the container, his hand grazing against Henrik’s. The small touch felt electric, goosebumps forming on his skin. Henrik was frozen, unable to do anything, fighting the urge to let his gaze drop to his lips. 

The silence lingered until Jakub shifted away, opening the tin and bringing the salve to his nose. “What’s that? Some kind of fruit?” 

“Lavender,” Henrik answered, recovering his ability to function. “I love the smell.” 

“It’s nice,” Jakub said, smelling the salve once more before rubbing it on his hands. 

\----

“But I won’t fall,” Jakub pouted defensively. “This is bollocks.” He kicked at the dirt. 

“I’ve fallen, you’ll fall too. You need to know how to fall and how to best protect yourself.”

For hours, they practised. “Pretend you’re a barn door,” Henrik suggested. 

“Like this?” Jakub asked, swinging off the wall once more.

“Better, nice work,” Henrik said with an approving nod and a small grin. 

\----

“Lower,” Henrik said while demonstrating his lunge technique. “Even lower.” 

They stretched every morning to Jakub’s grumbling. He was bulky, struggling with even the simplest stretches. It was a little adorable, watching him grunt and failing to reach his knees. His lunging technique was a little better, even offering a nice view for Henrik to avoid leering at. He refused to feed into the actor’s ego by letting him know how aware Henrik was of his...well...assets. 

Instead, he snuck peeks, keeping it to himself. 

\----

“I’m stuck, there’s nowhere to go.” 

“Look around the knee or hip level,” Henrik called out. 

“Urgh, I don’t see anything,” Jakub cried out in a deep, whining moan. 

“Look again, to your right.” 

“Oh.” 

\----

“Jakub, you need to use your legs more, engage your core. Your legs should be doing the bulk of the work,” Henrik yelled down from the top of the secured rope. “It’s like climbing a ladder, not doing a pull up.”

Red-faced with sweat pouring down his face, Jakub grunted, pulling himself up.

“That’s better, keep going,” Henrik encouraged. “Keep your arms straight.”

\----

“Ahhh.” Jakub struggled to breathe after they unhooked, holding up a finger after Henrik asked a question. 

Henrik could barely contain a smug smile. “Climbing is a good cardio workout- I’m guessing you don’t do much of that.”

“Shut up,” Jakub huffed, before laying down on the ground from exhaustion. He let out a beleaguered sigh, outstretching his arms. 

Henrik laughed, laying down beside him and placing his hands behind his head. He could feel the heat from Jakub’s body. There was something soothing about the sound of Jakub’s heavy breathing- he’d grown used to it the past few nights, Jakub slumbering beside him. He’d stare up at the stars, Jakub snoring next to him. Once the most obnoxious sounds in the world, now after a few days, it felt sorta right.

Something that he hadn’t felt since his ex-girlfriend had left him, and he left the UK behind. Jasmine. She had hated the outdoors, but for some reason loved him. At least he thought she did until she told him she didn’t. 

It was something he tried not to dwell on, instead letting it roll off his back. Henrik was a laid back person, rarely let things get to him. Even his own heartbreak. As odd as it was, his strong feelings of hatred towards Jakub was the most he’d felt for anyone ever. Somehow even that had shifted into something else he couldn’t quite figure it out.

Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn’t. Henrik was nothing if not patient- he could wait. 

\----

“On belay?” Henrik called out. 

“Belay is on,” Jakub answered. 

He was finally showing improvement, grasping the basics. It was a relief.

“I need to move to the next cliff, we’re wasting time, I’ve got this,” Jakub said gruffly one morning.

Henrik ran his hands through his hair, considering the request. He still didn’t feel like Jakub was ready, his gut told him no. And in climbing, he often deferred to his gut- it hadn’t steered him wrong yet. But that sad, desperate look on Jakub’s face melted his heart a bit. 

He had been trying so hard, wanting to be good, ready to move on.

“If things go amazingly today, tomorrow we can move on,” Henrik answered, resolute in his decision. 

A wide smile spread across Jakub’s face, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Seeing him happy, proud of himself, Henrik melted a little bit more. 

Jakub clasped Henrik’s shoulder, rubbing it gently while wearing a charming grin. The touch of Jakub’s hand on his shoulder sent a tingle down his spine. Henrik turned away, the sensation of Jakub’s touch burning against his skin. 

Midway through their climb, Henrik started to relax. Jakub was fine, doing well. He felt a strange affection for the man, frustration mixed with pity- he wanted Jakub to succeed, and Henrik wanted to be the one who helped him. 

Tomorrow they could move forward, advance to their new climb. He was proud of Jakub, it hadn’t been easy for him to go outside his comfort zone. 

But when he glanced down, Henrik saw Jakub zoned out, staring up into the distance. Henrik immediately assessed his stance and panic ran down his spine, seeing his unstable terrain. “Careful Jakub, your footing.”

His heart pounded as he watched Jakub, fear gripping him. He had a bad feeling, and as always, he trusted his gut. 

“What?” Jakub asked, before slipping on the rock and falling several feet- pulling Henrik with him as they slammed against the wall. 

“Din jävla idiot,” Henrik yelled out in frustration. 

Jakub panicked, desperately clawing at the rocky wall, almost feral in his movements.

“Jakub, stay calm. With your right foot, move up a foot and steady yourself on that ledge. It’s ok, just focus, breathe.”

Jakub nodded, his face red, dripping with perspiration, and did as he was instructed. Within a few minutes, they were both safely on the ground. 

Henrik exhaled slowly, collecting his thoughts, trying to remain calm. Every moment that passed, the anxious worrying wasn’t leaving him. Jakub’s hands were against the crag, his head almost resting against it. 

It had terrified him despite the safety precautions they had taken. Neither was in any real peril, and yet it felt like it. It scared him, how much seeing Jakub in ‘danger’ had scared him. What had happened? He had been doing so well- how shitty of a teacher was he that he was considering advancing him to the next challenge level? Or was Jakub just that poor of a student? 

Jakub shifted away, his eyes avoiding Henrik, calmly stretching his calves. Henrik pursed his lips. Jakub’s lack of an explanation or apology frustrated him, the irritation building until he exploded, finally letting his anger out. “What was that, Jakub?” Henrik bounded over to him, practically nose to nose with the slightly taller man, forcing him to look at him. “Why can’t you listen to me? How hard is it to follow simple instructions? You…You scared the crap out of me,” Henrik choked out. 

“I’m sorry.” Jakub looked down. “I just got a little distracted.”

“Distracted? Jakub, when you’re up there,” Henrik pointed to rocks, “you can’t afford to be distracted, you need to remain focused. What could have possibly distracted you? You don’t even have your phone!”

“It doesn’t matter.” Jakub’s brow furrowed.

“It does, what’s your excuse? I deserve to know.” He folded his arms, waiting for an answer, needing an answer. 

Jakub looked to his feet as Henrik stood before him, annoyed, looking at him expectantly. “You.” He glanced momentarily at Henrik before sheepishly averting his eyes. “ I was thinking about you.”

“Me?” Henrik blinked a couple of times.

“You! That was what you wanted to know, right? What has me so distracted. It’s you. The way your ass looks, that intense look on your face when you shift positions...what it would be like to kiss you. I know it’s dumb, you probably aren’t…” Jakub trailed off, keeping his eyes averted, focusing on a dying plant.

The silence lingered as Henrik took in his words. “I didn’t know you were….” 

“Me?” Jakub chuckled. “I’ve been out since I was fifteen, it’s not exactly a secret.”

“I guess I haven’t spent that much time on your imdb.” 

“There’s not much to see there anyway. Probably won’t be much more at least, I can’t even get this rock thing right. I’m such a screwup.” Jakub angrily kicked at the bottom of the cliff.

“Hey, hey, you’re not. Mistakes happen.” Henrik placed a hand on Jakub’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have freaked out like that. I’m supposed to be the calm one. It scared the crap out of me, Jakub, seeing you fall.”

Henrik paused. “I care about you. I’d like you to not die on my watch.”

“Oh, yeah, I get that.”

“And I’d like you not to die before I ask you out. After, maybe? But not yet.”

A small smile formed on Jakub’s lips. “Really?”

“Really,” Henrik answered, hesitantly leaning forward, bringing his lips to Jakub’s. They were soft. He hadn’t expected it, but his kiss was soft and sweet, timid and gentle. He smelled of chalk, tasted of cinnamon, and it was everything Henrik hadn’t known he needed.

Jakub’s body was almost made of stone. Henrik had made the assumption he was as useless as a rock, heavy but empty, but there was more to him, softer than he could have imagined. 

“How’s my stance?” Jakub asked, a relaxed smirk on his face. 

Henrik chuckled, pulling away. “Could be a little looser, maybe relax your arms a bit, or put them here,” Henrik pointed to his bum, moving Jakub’s hand to his rear. “Maybe you could loosen your lips a touch, give your tongue more of a workout.”

Jakub stuck out his tongue in an awkward way. It looked like an attempt to be sexy, causing them both to burst out in laughter. Henrik pulled him closer, wrapping him in another kiss. As they stood there at the bottom of that same damn hill they had started at, it felt like they had gone so far. 

  
  
  



End file.
